Mining town faces measles outbreak

Queensland Health has declared a local measles outbreak in the Central Highlands' mining town of Moranbah.

Dr Stephen Donohue says a nurse at the Moranbah Medical Centre caught the virus from a mine worker who contracted the illness while overseas.

Queensland Health says it is worried more cases will emerge in the coming weeks.

Dr Donohue says it is urgently trying to contact anyone who was at the medical centre between May 14 and 16.

"If it's a health care worker who's infectious, then the patients that they saw if they are not already immune may be vulnerable to the disease, absolutely," he said.

"Measles is one of the most infectious diseases that's known and it will seek out people who are not immune to this disease."

Residents are being urged to ensure they have had both measles vaccinations.

"If you get MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccine to immunise yourself against measles, about 10 per cent of the time it doesn't work and so the second dose is an insurance policy to bring your probability of protection up to 99 per cent or more," Dr Donohue said.

"If you were born since 1966 then you need to have two recorded doses.